Chad Comello

Tag: Copeland

  • My top 10 concert moments

    I’ve been to many concerts in my life. But I noticed the ones I remember most keenly have a specific song or moment that locked into my consciousness. Here, in chronological order with their venue and specific date (thanks internet!), are the ones that have stuck with me the most.

    “The City, The Airport” by Loney Dear

    The Metro. Chicago. April 13, 2007. My former bandmate and I had a connection with Matt and Seth of Anathallo (see below), and they invited us to go see Low. We arrived during the opener, a Swedish group called Loney Dear, as they were playing this propulsive bop. I found Low’s show to be slow and forgettable, but I’ll never forget Loney Dear.

    “On the Safest Ledge” by Copeland

    The Bottom Lounge. Chicago. October 30, 2008. I went with my friend Whitney to see one of my favorite bands at the time (and one I’ve been writing about since this blog’s beginning). You Are My Sunshine has just come out and I was really steeped in Eat, Sleep, Repeat so getting to see them live was a real treat, and this particular song was absolutely electric.

    “Why Can’t It Be Christmastime All Year?” by Rosie Thomas

    Schuba’s Tavern. Chicago. December 7, 2008. This was a Christmas-themed show, with Rosie and her bandmates dressed in ugly holiday sweaters and pajamas and playing festive tunes—including this bouncy original that’s become a staple in my annual Yuletide listening. I emerged from this concert into the unrivaled winter wonderland vibes of Christmastime in Chicago with its snow and cold and twinkling lights.

    “All the First Pages” by Anathallo

    The Union. Naperville. February 20, 2009. This is what inspired me to do this list. I’d seen them before, but this particular song played by an eight-piece group packed snugly onto a small stage in an intimate venue with a standing-room-only crowd… well, let’s just say when the bridge explodes into the final chorus, it felt like the roof blew open and confetti was flying everywhere. Transcendent.

    “You Should’ve Seen the Other Guy” by Nathaniel Rateliff

    The Pabst Theater. Milwaukee. May 25, 2010. About to graduate from college, I drove up to Milwaukee with my friends Steve, Tim, and Andrea to see The Tallest Man On Earth. He was a great show in itself, but Rateliff and his band (not yet “& the Night Sweats”) were a wonderful surprise as the opening act. I could feel his primal yell in this chorus even from the nosebleeds.

    “Hey Jude” by Paul McCartney

    Wrigley Field. Chicago. August 1, 2011. Technically I didn’t go to this concert; my friend Brian and I just joined the crowds gathered right outside the stadium to listen to legendary music reverberating out into Wrigleyville. But that didn’t matter—it was basically a free Beatles show, and singing this song live with thousands of people is an experience I’ll never forget. (The photo at top captures our freeloaders’ view—the big white light is the giant screen in the stadium.)

    “Emmylou” by First Aid Kit

    Lincoln Hall. Chicago. April 6, 2012. My now-wife and I had just started dating when we went to see this Swedish duo who had blown up with the release of The Lion’s Roar, so it’s no wonder hearing this buoyant song about love and winter and music stuck with me. Just as good: watching Emmylou Harris tear up hearing it live.

    “She Lit A Fire” by Lord Huron

    The House Cafe. DeKalb. July 23, 2013. Their album Lonesome Dreams had been my personal soundtrack the previous winter, so it was a thrill to see them live—with a bonus of my friend Kevin Prchal as the opener. As with First Aid Kit, this song’s lyrics (“she lit a fire, and now she’s in my every thought”) spoke directly to my burgeoning feelings for my soon-to-be-fiancée.

    “Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)” by Billy Joel

    Wrigley Field. Chicago. August 11, 2017. Back at Wrigley with my sister to see one of our mutual favorites as an early birthday outing, we’d planned to hang outside like at the McCartney show but then out of curiosity checked the box office when we arrived. Tickets weren’t exorbitant, so my sister decided to spring for them and we went in, this final song from Turnstiles leading off the show as we found our seats for what became a magical evening.

    “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)” by I’m With Her

    Thalia Hall. Chicago. January 6, 2018. We didn’t know it at the time, but this ended up being the last concert my wife and I went to together before our first child was born. And while their original songs were delightful, their a cappella cover of this Adele song was so unexpected and brought the house down.

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  • It’s fall: what music are you listening to?

    Here’s an incomplete, totally subjective playlist of music that reminds me of fall. Let me know in the comments what music reminds you of autumn.

    “October” by Eric Whitacre. Played the orchestral version of this in high school, but the choral version is just as good and beautifully evocative of the season.

    “Oh Shenandoah” folk song. Sang the choral version in high school, though really any version of it is bound to be good.

    Keep It Together by Guster. Not really sure why as I don’t like any other Guster music, but this is the first of three indie-pop-rock albums I discovered in college that have clung to my consciousness in a specific seasonal way.

    You Are My Sunshine by Copeland. Have a distinct memory of listening to this while walking through downtown Chicago at night in late November on my way back to my suburban college campus. “On the Safest Ledge” still gives me goosebumps. Eat, Sleep, Repeat is also a great autumnal album.

    Everything In Transit by Jack’s Mannequin. Like Guster, I don’t listen to any of their other music, and again mostly the first half of the album resonates for some reason. Usually play this only once a year on a brisk overcast late November day, all the better if I’m in an emo mood.

    “Adagio-Andante con moto” by George Gershwin. My friend Tim and I made a lot of live action and stop-motion movies together in middle school and high school. One (that was ultimately aborted) was a sort of impressionistic music video of our hometown, which at the time (and after) ranked among the Best Places to Live in America. We went to extreme lengths to try to align the footage with the music, including Tim sprinting through his house to turn out lights in time with the end notes of the song.

    Meet Joe Black soundtrack by Thomas Newman. Tim had this on CD. We’d listen to it all the time and use it in our movies. I still have never seen Meet Joe Black and I’d like to keep it that way. (Runner-up Thomas Newman soundtrack: Little Women.)

    Kind of Blue by Miles Davis. Though appropriate for listening any time, this was another album (along with the Lord of the Rings soundtracks) Tim and I kept in heavy rotation when hanging out. Have you figured out yet that we weren’t cool in high school?

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  • Good Listenin’

    It’s been a good two days for me musically. First, I got the debut CD from Carla Bruni, the French First Lady, called Quelqu’un M’a Dit from the library. I can’t understand a word of it, but I love the sexy folk style. Now I just have to find her most recent album.

    But what makes me more excited than sexy folk music from France is the fourth album from Copeland called You Are My Sunshine. I got it free in the mail from Tooth & Nail because I write reviews for a college music magazine called Hear Say. I freaking loved Eat, Sleep, Repeat and so far I’m loving this new album. I get to see Copeland on tour along with Lovedrug in a few weeks in downtown Chicago (also for free). Good stuff.

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  • You Are My Sunshine…

    I just realized that I’ve written a bunch of posts in the last week or so. Oh, well. I guess there’s a lot to discuss.

    Like this: Copeland will be releasing a new album! On October 14! It’s called You Are My Sunshine. It seems like I’ve been waiting for a long time for their follow-up to one of my all-time favorite records, Eat, Sleep, Repeat.

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  • Art for art’s sake

    “We make in our measure and in our derivative mode, because we are made; and not only made, but made in the image and likeness of a Maker.” -J.R.R. Tolkien

    Art for art’s sake. What a concept. So what if the song I’m listening to doesn’t mention Jesus or discuss Christian philosophy? It’s still a song, a piece of art. Why can’t it be appreciated as so?

    In the latest issue of Relevant magazine, Aaron Marsh, the lead singer of Copeland, says that “inspiration is too abstract to pin down. There are a lot of things that influence the lyrics or melodies.” You don’t have to be listening to a worship song or writing lyrics based on Scripture to be inspired.

    “In the end,” the article concludes, “it’s all just music–good music–but just music, all the same.”

    Amen.

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  • Soundtrack of the moment, part I

    No, this isn’t that stupid random listing of songs that supposedly follows your life. These are some songs that have changed me, made me think, made me cry, and want me to become a better person. Enjoy.

    “Candy Shop” – Andrew Bird – Oh! the Grandeur
     So nostalgic. The groove makes you want to do the Charleston.

    “Martha My Dear” – The Beatles – The White Album
     There are so many Beatles song I could have chosen but this one is so catchy and my current favorite. Do yourself a favor and listen to this whole double album.

    “Vienna” – Billy Joel – The Stranger
     I recommend this entire album. I wish I could make music like Billy Joel.

    “Love Affair” – Copeland – Eat, Sleep, Repeat
    Ridiculously good song off of a ridiculously good album. Their musicianship and composition skills inspire me so much.

    “Changes” – David Bowie – Hunky Dory
     One of the catchiest songs you’ll ever hear.

    “Time Bomb” – The Format – Dog Problems
    This band is going to be huge. Such a great blend of acoustic pop, rock, and brilliance.

    “Backyard” – Guster – Keep It Together
    I just love the grooves they create. The chord progressions are so emotionally charged.

    “The Mixed Tape” – Jack’s Mannequin – Everything In Transit
    I didn’t know anything about this band before listening to this disc. So glad I did. The first time I heard this track it felt like music was completely new and uninhibited.

    “At the Mercy” – Paul McCartney – Chaos and Creation in the Backyard
    I never listened to any Wings stuff, so that’s probably why I love this. Paul’s still got it.

    “Bicycle Race” – Queen – Greatest Hits I
    At a weird yet awesome song. You will not be able to forget it.

    “Short People” – Randy Newman – Little Criminals
    Most people probably know Randy Newman from the Toy Story soundtrack but his other stuff is piano pop at its best.

    “Samson” – Regina Spektor – Begin to Hope
    Brass + strings + inspiration = musical bliss. Such a heart throbbing song.

    “I So Hate Consequences” – Relient K – mmHmm
    Lyrically, this band is the greatest I’ve ever seen. Everyone can relate to these songs, and this is just a taste of the spiritual and emotional maturity that Matthew Thiessen brings.

    “The Only Song” – Sherwood – Summer EP
    Pop rock glory.

    “The World” – The Starting Line – Based on a True Story
    An solid, anthemic pop punk rock song.

    “Come On! Feel the Illinoise!” – Sufjan Stevens – Come On Feel the Illinoise!
    This man is truly gifted. Where he gets his inspiration/ideas is beyond me.

    “Amateur Lovers” – Switchfoot – Oh! Gravity.
    This album is so much better than Nothing Is Sound. Had to pick one song but listen to the whole album.

    “View From Heaven” – Yellowcard – Ocean Avenue
    Such an emotional song from an unlikely source. A great summer record.

    So there are just a few of the songs that fill my day. What are yours?

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  • Brightest

    Walking back to my dorm from chapel last night, I saw the coolest image I’ve seen in a long time. A full moon against a dark sky with the slightest shade of the darkest blue you could imagine. Clouds shaped like cotton ball clusters slid by the moon so gracefully. Coincidentally, a Copeland song called “Brightest” was playing on my iPod as I looked up at the sky. The clean, crisp night air refreshed my senses and the whole experience broke through to my soul. The moon shone so brightly that all the beautiful buildings I passed were ever so tinted with a faint light, making the moment seem all the more surreal.

    It’s moments like these that prove God’s existence. He is in the colors and the sounds and the smells that invigorate us everyday. These images are always out there waiting for someone to take the time to sit back and look at them. You don’t have to go to Hawaii or the Rocky Mountains to see something spectacular. Just open your eyes a little wider than they’ve been recently and wait to see what happens.

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  • you’re coming alive to me

    I love it when music and movies come alive. Recently I listened to Copeland’s new album, Eat, Sleep, Repeat. That album, as well as Jack’s Mannequin’s Everything In Transit, somehow opened up a new gateway into music and life for me. When I listened to them, everything else I had ever heard before that seemed stale. They completely revolutionized music for me, however hyperbolic that may sound. I was in just the right mood for the music to reach right into my soul and shake things up. I’m sure that if you are more than a casual listener to decent music you’ll know what I’m talking about. Maybe you’ve had a bad day, or bad month, and listening to a certain album just smashes a window open you didn’t know existed in your soul. I love it.

    With Jack’s Mannequin, I remember my heart just throbbing and getting goosebumps while walking home from the public library. At that moment, God just came alive to me. It doesn’t even matter what kind of music you’re listening to. Each strum of the guitar was like a shock to my heart. Another time, I was listening to Sanctus Real’s The Face of Love. During that season of my life, I had been thinking a lot about love and what it really meant. Three different arenas of my life–classes, church, and music–all happened to focus specifically on this subject, which I know now wasn’t a coincidence. Listening to The Face of Love and thinking about the lyrics and how they applied to my life, it was like another jump start to my heart. My windshield had just been wiped clean and I could finally make sense of the stuff that was ahead of me.

    This happens with movies as well. My sister could attest to this. In the months before our grandpa and grandma died, she was away at college and couldn’t be with them as much as she wanted. She had always been really close to them, so whenever she was getting down about it, she watched Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. I cannot vouch for the quality of the movie, but that doesn’t matter. She is emotionally bound to that film and to this day she watches it whenever she is having a bad day. We all can be moved by certain movies, whether it be because of its sadness or uplifting message. I recently watched Casablanca. I’ve only met one person who does not like/love this movie, and for good reason. I love the romance, I love the stubbornness of Rick (which I can relate to), and I love how there are so many things I can learn from it. That movie, along with a few others, lifts itself off the screen and into my heart. And sometimes, with all the crap we carry with us, that is exactly what we need.

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